UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Sunday said that he was "deeply saddened by the loss of hundreds of lives" and the destruction in the wake of Saturday's strong twin earthquakes in northwest Iran.
"The secretary-general is deeply saddened by the loss of hundreds of lives, the many injuries and the destruction in the Islamic Republic of Iran as a result of earthquakes that struck areas near the city of Tabriz on 11 August," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.
Ban "extends his sincere condolences to the Iranian government and people, particularly the families of those who have been killed or otherwise affected in this disaster," the statement said.
The death toll of Saturday's strong twin quakes in northwest Iran has risen to some 300, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency cited a local Iranian official as saying on Sunday.
A 6.2-magnitude temblor, with a depth of 10 km, hit Ahar at 4: 53 p.m. (GMT 1223) on Saturday, while another 6-magnitude earthquake, also with a depth of 10 km, struck nearby Varzaqan at 5:04 p.m. (GMT 1234), according to the Iranian Seismological Center.
"The United Nations stands ready to lend its assistance to efforts to respond to humanitarian needs created by the disaster and to mobilize international support for that response," the statement said.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Sunday expressed condolences for the loss of life in Iran's latest earthquake, saying Washington is ready to help.
"The American people send the Iranian people our deepest condolences for the loss of life in the tragic earthquake" in northwestern Iran, White House spokesman Jay Carney said in a statement. Full story
ISLAMABAD, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has directed the authorities to arrange immediate dispatch of relief goods to earthquake victims in Tabriz of Iran.
A military C-130 cargo plane, carrying relief goods, shall reach Tabriz by Monday, the Prime Minister Office said on Sunday. Full story
MOSCOW, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin has conveyed condolences to his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over the losses of life inflicted by two strong earthquakes on Saturday, the Kremlin press service said Sunday.
Putin expressed his profound sympathy to the victims of the disaster, saying that Russia is ready to provide necessary support and aid to the quake-hit country, according to the Kremlin. Full story
TEHRAN, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll of Saturday's strong twin quakes in northwest Iran has risen to some 300, the semi- official Fars news agency cited an official as saying on Sunday.
Reza Sadiqi, the governor of Ahar county in East Azerbaijan province, told Fars that the number of fatalities in the quake- stricken regions amounted to 300. Full story
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